University of Maine quarterback Jake Eaton, who left Saturday’s game at Richmond with a knee injury, is holding out hope he might be able to return if the Black Bears can win a few more games.

The senior captain, who has been diagnosed with a partial tear in the medial collateral ligament in his left knee, received some mildly encouraging news during a Monday visit to the doctor, according to coach Jack Cosgrove.

“All I know is the kid was excited about what he heard,” Cosgrove said. “It’s not as bad as originally thought.”

Eaton, who will not play in Saturday’s noon regular-season finale against New Hampshire at Alfond Stadium, has an outside shot of getting back on the field if everything goes perfectly in the meantime.

“There’s a possibility that if we win a couple, he might be able to play,” Cosgrove said. “Hope is a big thing.”

Eaton’s resilience and determination are among his best attributes.

“Jake’s as tough a kid as I’ve ever been around,” said Cosgrove, who is concerned about the way the loss of Eaton is affecting the players.

“It was tough on them,” Cosgrove said. “He’s their leader. He’s a guy who’s been as respected as anybody for getting us as far as we’ve gone the last couple years.”

In the meantime, UMaine is dealing with another minor setback.

Redshirt freshman Chris Legree, who replaced Eaton against Richmond and threw a touchdown pass, sat out Monday’s practice in the fieldhouse because of a bruised throwing (right) shoulder.

“We didn’t rush him in there today. It’s a day-to-day thing,” Cosgrove said.

Jon Meczywor, a sophomore, took most of the snaps on Monday. He appeared in four games last season.

Cosgrove said he expects Legree to play on Saturday.

Black Bears move up to No. 9

The UMaine football team has moved back up to ninth in this week’s Division I-AA top 25 polls released Monday by The Sports Network and ESPN/USA Today.

The 9-2 Black Bears, who were ranked 11th last week in the TSN poll and were 12th in the ESPN sampling, have equaled the school record for wins for the second straight season and appear to be in good position to earn one of 16 NCAA playoff spots.

UMaine now has been ranked in the top 25 for 19 consecutive weeks.

Top guard to attend UMaine

Chris Bruff, a 6-foot-3, 195-pound shooting guard at Northwest Catholic High School in West Hartford, Conn., has signed a National Letter of Intent to attend the University of Maine and participate in the men’s basketball program, head coach John Giannini said Monday.

Bruff, who had verbally committed to attend Maine more than a month ago, helped lead his teams to two state titles as a freshman and junior and the No. 1 ranking in Connecticut last season. The Class M tournament MVP last season, Bruff averaged 17 points and eight rebounds per game. Bruff’s sophomore team was 24-1 before being upset in the state semifinals.

Bruff was one of the top 40 players at the Eastern Invitational in New Jersey this summer and also played in the Adidas Big Time tournament in Las Vegas.

“Chris is going to be a great player for me to coach because he’s a great person to be around plus he has a lot of basketball potential,” Giannini said. “He’s a young, athletic player who’s beginning to really build on his perimeter skills.

“He is a wonderful person and comes from a great family,” Giannini added

The admission of all student-athletes is contingent on following NCAA rules, including registration with the NCAA Clearinghouse.